Preservation of Chinese Culture: Women's Choice of Marriage During the Mongol Rule

Hannah Nancy Lee

OAI: oai:digitalcommons.ursinus.edu:eastasia_sum-1009

This essay will explore how the Chinese culture remained relatively unchanged after the Mongol Rule because the Mongolian marriage customs did not work for the elite Chinese women they ruled over. First, an overview of Chinese culture leading up to the Mongol rule in China so the consistency of the Chinese family and marriage cultures, and in effect, the Chinese culture because of its strong connection to Confucianism, can be understood. Next, the paper will analyze the marriage customs of the Mongols before their rule in China to demonstrate how they tried to implement their traditions into Chinese society. Then, why this did not work for the Chinese women, and different women in the Chinese community. The essay will end with how this, in effect, kept the Chinese society consistent from the beginning to the end of the Mongol Rule. Please note that I am looking at historical works or scholarly literature from a modern perspective, and some bias might be within my paper. I may talk about women's rights with a modern perspective instead of seeing the societal view at that time, which will affect my analysis. Also, note there is a literature restriction from this time and thus I depend on what is already translated into English.

Mongol Yuan Chinese women preservation Arts and Humanities East Asian Languages and Societies Women's Studies